Sustainable UF to host annual Campus Earth Day April 11

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s Office of Sustainability will host its annual Campus Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 at the Plaza of the Americas.

UF President Bernie Machen will deliver his annual State of Sustainability address beginning at 11:30 a.m. In addition, the Champions for Change Awards will be presented to members of the campus community who have made significant contributions in the areas of sustainability and health at UF.

This year’s Campus Earth Day will highlight the “Turn Over A New Leaf” campaign, which encourages members of the UF community to make positive changes in one of four areas of resource consumption: transportation, waste, energy or food. Since the campaign’s kickoff in early February, more than 260 people have pledged to adopt sustainable habits in their daily lives.

The event will also include the reveal of the winning design from UF’s first repurposed fashion competition, Tailored Waste. Students were permitted to work either as teams or individuals to submit sketches of clothing designs made from reusable materials. The competition was hosted by the UF Office of Sustainability and The Repurpose Project, a local nonprofit effort to divert useful resources from the landfill.

Campus Earth Day is free and open to the public. Attendees will enjoy free food, drinks, art exhibits, Green-it-Yourself activities and performances by Theatre Strike Force and UF’s a capella group, No Southern Accent. For more information, visit sustainable.ufl.edu/earthday.